The present invention relates to a high efficiency piston engine, which is driven either by pressurized air or other pressurizable gas or fluid supplied from a source arranged outside of the engine.
As is known, high efficiency, non-polluting engines are increasingly required and, to meet this requirement, several fluid-operated engine constructions have been already proposed.
However, prior fluid-operated engines for motor vehicles are rather polluting and consume a comparatively high amount of fuel.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a very simple constructional approach which, as applied to a piston engine, would provide said engine with a performance not less than that of an internal combustion engine.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a high efficiency non-polluting fluid-operated piston engine.
Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the invention is to provide such an engine which is very reliable in operation and which can be used in a broad range of motor vehicles, for a lot of commercial, private and other operations.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a high efficiency piston engine comprising at least a cylinder and at least a piston movable in said cylinder, characterized in that said cylinder has a cylinder head including a pre-chamber forming a plenum chamber having a size proportional to the swept volume of said engine and to a power to be obtained thereby.
Said pre-chamber is continuously supplied from the outside by pressurized air or other pressurizable gas, at a variable pressure which is provided by at least two adjustment operations or controls.